Using a Mouth Piece

             Sharing a mouth piece with another person is just like sharing water with them.  Well, I don’t really think so.  As a brass player I have to empty my spit valves often because I spit when I blow into my mouth piece.  Think about sharing that spit infested mouth piece with another person.  Well that is just gross and another way to spread diseases between people.

                I would highly recommend people to buy a spray disinfectant for mouth pieces if they are in band.  Trying other people’s instruments are fun, but how would know when the last time someone cleaned their mouth piece was?  Trying out an instrument without having proper instruction could potentially harm the instrument or the person’s mouth. 

                Have you ever had a band director take your instrument and show you how to play it?  Well I have.  Being a brass player I can instantly wipe off the mouth piece and continue on, but what about the woodwind players that use a reed?  The band director would have licked the reed and then played it, the spit would then be imbedded into the reed and be soaked in there along with your spit.  I would say that it would be more disgusting having your band director use your mouth piece than having a friend use it because at least with a friend you might have a slight idea if they are sick or where their mouths have been.

                It is highly recommended that a person doesn’t eat right before playing their instrument because leftover food particles could be in a person’s spit and transferred into the instrument where it can eat away at the inside of the instrument.  It can produce a bad smell in the instrument, create rust, and also affect the tone of an instrument.  As an experienced musician I would recommend that a person wash out their mouth with water and gargle water before playing because it can help get rid of anything in a person’s mouth.  If you play a brass instrument and smell your mouth piece and notice that it has a weird smell, then it is time to clean your instrument. 

                One would think that it is common sense not to chew gum when playing an instrument, but still people do it.  I personally would choke or get the gum stuck in the instrument.  Chewing a piece of gum would just send unwanted fluid into the instrument and make it disgusting.  A person also would have a harder time playing and not get the best tone quality or performance possible.  Just please don’t chew gum while playing an instrument.